Engineering Licensing in Midway CDP (Santa Rosa County), Florida

Who Needs a License

In Florida, professional engineering work is regulated under Chapter 489 of the Florida Statutes. Any person who offers to perform, or performs, engineering services—including design, analysis, and consultation on engineering projects—must hold an active professional engineer license issued by the state.

Work requiring licensure includes structural design, site engineering, utility system design, and any service that directly affects public health, safety, or welfare. The specific definition of "practice of professional engineering" is established in Fla. Stat. § 489.105.

How to Get Licensed

Florida's Construction Industry Licensing Board (established under Fla. Stat. § 489.107) does not issue professional engineer licenses. Instead, professional engineering licenses are issued by the Florida Board of Professional Engineers, a separate state board.

To obtain licensure, you must:

  1. Meet qualifications outlined in Fla. Stat. § 489.113, which requires:
  2. A degree in engineering from an ABET-accredited program (or equivalent)
  3. Four years of engineering work experience under a licensed engineer
  4. Passage of the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) exam

  5. Passage of the Professional Engineering (PE) exam in your discipline

  6. Apply to the Florida Board of Professional Engineers (not the local county or town). Submit your application, transcripts, and experience documentation directly to the state board.

  7. Obtain military service credit if applicable. Fla. Stat. § 489.1131 allows credit for relevant military training and education toward experience requirements.

Once licensed at the state level, your license is valid throughout Florida, including in Santa Rosa County and Midway CDP.

Local Requirements

Permit requirements in Midway CDP are governed by the Midway CDP (Santa Rosa County) Municipal Code, available at https://library.municode.com/fl/midway-cdp-santa-rosa-county-florida.

Before beginning any regulated engineering work:
- Contact the Santa Rosa County Building Department to determine whether your specific project requires local permitting.
- Verify current local code amendments and submittal requirements in the municipal code linked above.
- Provide proof of your state professional engineering license when submitting local permits or applications.

Local permitting is separate from state licensure; you must hold both your state PE license and comply with any local permit requirements.

Exemptions

Fla. Stat. § 489.103 exempts certain work from licensure requirements, including:
- Work performed by full-time employees of private companies for internal operations (not offered to the public)
- Certain routine maintenance and repair activities
- Work by contractors in trades other than engineering, when not presenting themselves as engineers

However, exemptions are narrowly construed. When in doubt, obtain state licensure.

State Licensing Board Contact

Florida Board of Professional Engineers (FBPE)
- Phone: 850-521-0500
- Website: https://fbpe.org/

References

The law belongs to the people. Georgia v. Public.Resource.Org, 590 U.S. (2020)